Interview with Fei Hu | A Sr. Interior Designer & Founder of FMP Associates

My father started nurturing and encouraging me to learn painting when I was about 4 years old. Painting has since become my interest and hobby. In high school, I discovered that I was more interested in architectural art and interior design, so I decided to pursue this path. I majored in architecture and interior design in college.

In 2004, I founded the interior design company FMP Associates in Shanghai, where I served as the founder, general manager, and design director.

FMP has 20 employees and 20 years of professional design experience. We provide one-stop solutions for our clients, ranging from layout planning, conceptual design, and preliminary design, to 3D renderings and full construction drawings. From drawings and material samples to construction coordination, FMP is a team of experienced designers and creative thinkers focused on the design of various types of spaces, including apartments, offices, hotels, and restaurants.

My main responsibilities at the company are:

1. Serving as the design director and creative core, responsible for the design of major projects, reviewing construction drawings, and providing technical guidance. I oversee the design quality and service standards of all projects.

2. Developing the company’s growth strategy and managing the daily operations of the company.

Design is both my passion and my life. I hope to use my professional skills to make people’s living environments more beautiful, comfortable, and functional, thereby creating more value for them. I believe that design changes live！

I love all styles of design, but I like the ones that incorporate history and memory into a modern environment the most. Subtle, elegant, with stories and memories.

A good design can be remembered at a glance, evoke emotions, is simple & powerful, and has reasonable function.

Simple, pure, less is more, using simple materials and shapes to create an unforgettable atmosphere. With historical memory and cultural inheritance, function rationality is the basis of design, and form cannot be separated from function.

First of all, the site conditions and design requirements of the project are studied, relevant cases and materials are consulted according to these conditions, and all relevant historical data and information are searched as much as possible, from which the appropriate elements and possibilities are repeatedly screened. Make lots of sketches and graphic schemes. After forming 2-3 conceptual plans, communicate with the client, and then determine a main direction, submit to the 3D draftsman to build a sketch model. Iterate on the 3D rendering until the solution is approved and finally draw the construction drawings and prepare the material samples.

My country and cultural heritage have a very important influence on my design, it appears in almost every design project.

We are very fortunate to receive this internationally renowned award. Receiving this honor means that our work has been recognized by international professionals, which is a great encouragement and support for me and my team, this gives us more confidence to stick to our exploration direction and create better work.

Longhu Culture and Convention Center is an iconic city landmark in Zhengzhou and will become the largest conference center in Zhengzhou after its completion, with the ability to host high-level international conferences.

With Chinese culture as the core concept and the phoenix as the theme and inspiration source, I use a white arc line up to 16 meters high to run through the entire space, using abstract modern techniques to express the posture of a phoenix flying, which not only conforms to the solemn space characteristics of the conference center, but also has a pure, modern and artistic space aesthetic feeling.

The design requirements and scale of this project are of a very high standard. We have invested a lot of energy and enthusiasm in this project, which can fully reflect my design ability. I hope more people will know about this project and my work.

The owner has a huge review team, and each expert's opinion is not uniform, we have to balance everyone's opinion, but also ensure that the project is unique and beautiful. We spent half a year on this project designing many solutions, trying our best to find a solution that most people were satisfied with.

This award is a recognition and encouragement of my work, and it will encourage me to devote myself to my work with greater confidence and enthusiasm. I also hope that more people know me, like my work, and have a positive influence on my career.

1. Work completed, customer satisfied.

2. Attend the awards ceremony.

3. Publish and exhibit the works.

China has a huge market, a large and highly skilled workforce and a complete industrial chain. Together, they nurtured designers and the design industry. In addition, China has a long history and culture that can provide a steady stream of nutrition for designers and artists, making it a very important reason.

The development of artificial intelligence technology will subvert the traditional way of working on design, and it will become easier and easier for designers to create more and better works. The efficiency of design will be greatly increased, productivity will be several times higher, and many designers will be obsolete if they don't update their skills. However I think that human creativity based on emotion and memory is something that AI cannot replace.

Start by spending a lot of time reading and researching, focusing on enhancing your aesthetics and creativity. Secondly, dedicate substantial time to practicing hand drawing, which is an essential skill for designers. If possible, travel frequently, as it is the most important way to understand, learn, and experience the culture and art of different countries. Lastly, master artificial intelligence and various work software, making them your tools.

Just ask ChatGPT and it will give you the answers!

I’m afraid of dogs. Every time I see a dog approaching, I always want to get as far away as possible!

The three masters who have inspired me the most are Tadao Ando, Rafael Moneo, and Tonychi. Their design styles represent simplicity, classical, and elegance, respectively, which fascinates me.

Interest, perseverance, and luck.

I would like to express my gratitude to the NY Architectural Design Award for this great honor. It is a privilege to be recognized by the jury alongside so many outstanding designers. I would like to finally thank the Awards Specialist, IAA Global, and especially Sean. I had originally missed this interview, but they gave me another chance. I am very grateful to them!